€30m Due in Outstanding 2010 Reps and Aeos Must Be Paid out Now – IFA

IFA Rural Development Chairman Tom Turley said €30m in REPS/AEOS owed to around 10,000 farmers since last year, must be paid out immediately. He said the delays are causing severe financial hardship on farms as compliance costs have already been incurred.

Mr Turley said that 1,000 REPS 4 farmers have received no payment yet for 2010, while over 2,000 REPS 4 farmers are still due their final 25% of payment from last year. On AEOS none of the 8,500 farmers who applied nearly 15 months ago have received any payment for the number of months they were in the scheme in 2010. In addition it is estimated that there are still a small number of REPS 3 farmers still waiting to be paid.

Tom Turley said that the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney must ensure that these payments are paid out immediately.

The IFA Rural Development Chairman said it is vital that the full 2011 allocation for REPS/AEOS of €337m is paid out by year end. 30,000 farmers are due a full year REPS 4 payment, 8,500 farmers are due a full AEOS 1 payment and 6,800 AEOS 2 farmers are due a 4 month payment for 2011 by the end of the year.

“Minister Coveney must ensure that there is no carryover of payment in 2012 as happened last year, where €90m of payments were carried forward to this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Turley said that the supplementary measures under the REPS 4 including mixed grazing payment of up to €1,000 for 2010 must be paid out with the annual REPS 4 payments later in the year.

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